Trap-nest.



R. F. BRINER.

TRAP NBST. APPLICATION FILED 00T.22,1912.

Patented July 7, 1914.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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R. F. BRINER. TRAP NEST. APPLICATION rlLBD 061221912.

1,102,386. Patented July 7, 1914.

' 3 BHEETSSHEET 2.

R. BRINER.

TRAP NEST.

APPLIGATxoN FILED 001:22, 1912, 1,102,386, Patented July 7, 19M

' 3 SHEETS-SHEET s.

' from the hens UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE.

'ROBERT F. BRINER, 0F xSA'R-ATOGI, WYUMING.

TRAP-MEST.

Specification of Letters .Patent Patented July a., 19a-i4.

Application led October 22, 1912. Serial No. 727,266.

T0 all whom it may concern: Y y Be it known that I, ROBERT F. BRINER,` citizen of the United States, residing at|` Saratoga, in the county of Carbon and State of Wyoming, have invented certain Cnew and useful Improvements in 'Ijrap- Nests, of which the following isa specification. Y

My invention relates to poultry nests, and particularly to a form ofnest which will act to seclude the hen while laying, and whereby the hens which have laid may be separated which have not laid duringv the day.

The main objectof my invention is the provision of Vmeans whereb hens which do not lay may .be separated from hens which do ly, this Separation being accomplished Without any adventitious aid from the poilltryman.

A further object is to provide a separating nest box `from which the hens do not have to be released individually, the box being so constructed that the hens may pass on and out of the box one by one into an inclosed space after their eggs have been laid. This permits the poultryman when gather ing his eggs .in the evenin to .make a note in his egg record book o the .hens which have not laid. He then allows'the hens that4 have laid to pass through a door into an adjoining pen that contains the hens that did not lay during that day. The following day all the hens will be infront of, or in the pen leading to the entrance of the nest box and the operation is repeated.

A further object is to so construct the nest that the hens are not subjected to unhealthy confinement as in the ease of trap nests, and so to form the nest boxr that when the hen has laid an egg she is at liberty to pass out into the pen or inclosure that contains the hens that` have laid that day.

A further object is to so construct the nest box that vas the hen steps out of the nest after laying, she opens the entrance door of the nest box for the next hen that wants to lay.

A still further object in this connection is to make the nest box automatic in its operation so that. it shall not require any attention from the poultryman during the day, and so that one nest box may do for many hens, thereby reducing the number of nests required where, as in trap nests, a nest is used. practically for each hen or closed until such time as the poultryman can conveniently release .the lhen from the nest.

A 'further object is 'to so construct the nest that 'gravity .alone is depended upon to' open `the doors during the entrance to and exit from the Anest box, thus .relieving the hen from the necessity of .opening the doors with the force of Aher vshoulders or sides in order to release herself'from'the nest. It will 'be seen that my improved separator nest s eparatesthe hens who have laid from those 'hens who have not laid and that by providing the hens with vari-colored leg bands it is possible for the .poultryman to keep a record of Whathens have laid and thus at 'the end of a predetermined time be able to determine what hens are good layers and what are not, furthermore doin away with pants with which the hen is liable to come in contact.,

A further object "is to so construct the nest box vthat the entrance and exit doors willoperate noiselessly and will therefore not' frighten the hen.

A stili further whereby the exit door of lthe nest can be blocked so that it can not drop below the upper end of the exit opening, thus permitting the nest box to be used as a trap nest during the breeding season if desired in order to identify each hen with her own egg.

A further object is to so construct the nest box that the hen on the nest box can not be molested by hens in front of or in the rear of the nest box and the hens on the outside can not interfere with the successful operation of the doors and platform.

Again a further object is to so arrange the entrance to the nest that the hens must jump up in entering and so form this entrance that only one hen can enter at a time, thus eliminating the possibility of injuring one hen near the nest by the closing of the front door When another hen is just going on` the nest. l

A further object of the invention is to construct the nest box entirely of sheet iron or other like refractory material and use in connection therewith a cast or molded asbestos nest instead of one made of excelsior, hay or straw, thus permitting the entire structure to be cleaned of vermin by passing the Ham-e of a blow torch over it, and a further object in this connection is to so form the asbestos lining mi the nest box that' an object is to provide means asbestos egg may be cast with the nest, thus making the structure fire-proof and capable of being readily cleaned of vermin.'

@ther objects will appear in the course of the following description.

A form of my invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein;

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a portion of a poultry yard with my improved separator nest arranged therein. Fig. 2 is .an enlarged longitudinal section of the separator nest, the parts being in position to 'receive the hen. Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2 but showing the hen 21s on the nest. Fig. L1 is a similar view to Fig. 3 but showing the parts in the position when the hen is about to leave the nest. Fig. 5 is a transverse section on the line of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a diagran'nnatic view o1' `a poultry yard showm ing the position of the separator nests with relation to two compartments or divisions of the yard.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the following description and 'indicated in all views ofv the accompanying drawings by the same reference characters.

Generally speaking, the poultry yard with which my improved separator nests are intended to be used consists of an inclosure of any suitable character divided by a partition so as to form two compartments or divisions designated in Fig. 1 as A and B, the compartment A, for instance, being used to contain those hens which have not vlaid and the compartan-.nt B inclosing those hens which have passed through the nest box and have laid, so that the hens that have laid are separated from the hens that have not laid. The view illustrated inFig. 1 is entirely diagramuultic and the proper arrangement of the poultry yard is illustrated in Fig. (3 and will be later described. As illustrated in Fig. 1, however, the yard is shown as inclosed by wire fencing 10 supported on posts 11, the yard being divided into two divisionsl A and B by means of a -trausvtn'se partition of wire netting designated lli.

.i plurality o1' my separator nests are designed to be so disposed as to intersect the partitionV 121, the entrance to each separator nest being located wit-hin the compartment or division A, while' the exit end of eacbl separator nest is located within the division B so that access from one compartment to the other is obtained only by passing through a nest. From the compartment or division B a door leads into a runway or passage, and opening` into this passage from the division is a door. Thus the poultry which have, laid during the day may after- 'ard, as for instance at night, be driven back into the division so as to be ready for the next day. A gate is also provided in the wall of either the compartment A or B l Extending across the l s l l l l whereby the poultryman may have access to the nest to remove the eggs therefrom.

Flach separator nest. comprises an exterior casing which may be made ot any suitable material such as the product known as compoboard, a combination of alternate layers of cement and wood, wood or metal` and this casing is formed with spaced sides 14 and a top 15, a portion ot' the top being' hinged as at l51 to permit access to be had to the nest. for the removal of the eggs.

The casing is preferably mounted upon suitable supports lt ot' any desired character so as to support the nesta distance above the ground as at 1T. The entrance end of each nest is pro-vided with a vertically extending wall 18 which forms a partial closure to the nest, and extending inward from the upper end or' this wall 18 so as to 'form a stationary platform for the hen is a support or rest Disposed between the top of the casing andy the upper end of the wall 18 is an entrance door 1!) hinged at 90 to the top of the casing, and when closed bearing at its lower edge against the upper edge ol' the wall 18 as illustrated in Fig. 3. Dit the discharge or exit end ot the cz'tsing the sides 14 are sloped downward at their upper portions, these sloping portions of the side bemg connected by a plurality oll transverse slats 21 spaced from each other so as to permit the entrance of light. The lower portion of the casing below the lowest slat Q1 is open .so as to permit the exit of the hen. Extending transversely across the lower portion of the casing is a support and stop 24, and extending transversely of the casing and located between the support 24 and the wall 18 a support which is preferably inclined downward so that its upper rear vcornet-'will forni a. fulcrum for the nest box Q6. This box Q6 hinged toward its rear end to the support as at 27 and projecting rearward from the lower corner of the nest box is a counterweight normally acting to `hold the nest box in a raised position, that is, in the position shown iu Fig. il with the upper edge of the sides of the nest box bearing against a stop or stops QS). stop 2f) does not extend entirely across the casing but projects outward from the side '14- only a snliicient distance to engage. with the side of thc nest box. There may be two of these stops one on each side. but ordinarily one is sufficient.

The nest box 26 is shown as rectangular -in forni` the forward end oi' the box being upwardly inclined at 9.63 and provided with cleats 2Gb facilitating the exit of the hen from the nest box. This nestr box may be formed in any suitable manner and of any suitable material but pr ferably is of metal and lined with asbesto as will be later described.

This y easing and preferably attached to the top is a supporting member and hinged to the lower re'ai edge of this supporting member at 31 is a balanced door 32 which has a counter- Weight 33 attached to its upper edge above the hinge 31. The lower edge of this door is adapted to' contact with and engage the forward upper edge rof the inclined forward end 26a of the nest box when the nest box is in its raised position as shown in Fig. 2.

A spring actuated bolt 34 or like device is mounted upon the lower edge of the door 32 and this bolt is adapted to engage a keeper 35 carried upon the upwardly sloping end of the nest box so that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 2, the balanced door' will be locked from any upward movement. When, however, a hen arrives in the nest bex, the nest box will move downward,

to the position vshown in Fig. 3, thus releasing the keeper 35 from the bolt 34 and permitting the door 32 to -move upward to the position shown in Fig. 3. The counterweight 33 is j'ust sufficient to balance the door 32 and the door .is moved from the position shown in. Fig. 2 to that shown in Fig. 3 by the weight of the entrance door l5), this entrance door being connected to the door 32 by means of a connecting rod 4G which is pivoted to the inner face of the door 19 and to the inner face of the door 32 as at 48.

Extending across the forward end of the casing and about in line with the supporting but so that it member 24 is a supporting member 3G which is downwardly and forwardly inclined so that the rear upper corner forms a fulcrum and hingedly mounted upon this member 36 by means of a hinge 37 is a balanced platform 38 provided upon its upper face with a plurality of transverse cleats The door 38 projects rearward beyond the fulcrum point and hinge 37 and is countcrbalanced by means of a weight 40 so that the door will not only* occupy the position shown in Fig. 2

may be lowered to the position shown in Fig. 4 in order to permit the exit of the hen. iVhenthe balanced platform 38 1s moved down tothe position as in Fig. 4, the forward edge bf the platform will rest upon a transverse supporting member 36a. An arm 41 projects from the balanced door 32 and extending from this arm 4l to the balanced platform 38 is a fiexible connection such as a chain or cord designated 43 which is attached at 42 to the arm 4l and at 44 to the door 38. It will be seen that by reason of this attachment, the closes by the release of the balanced door 32 and the rotation of this balanced door, to draw thc balanced platform up to the position shown in Fig. 3. It will thus be seen that when the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the entrance end and the exit end of the casing are closed, but that immediately the balanced platform 38 is dedoor 19 will act, when itA pressed, as when the hen steps thereon, the fiexible connection 43 will draw the balanced door 32 to the position shown in Fig. 2 and the door will automatically latch acainst the forward end of the nest box 26. l`he rotation of the door 32 to the position shown in Fig. 2 will, of course, Cause the opening of the door 19 so that immediately a hen has stepped from the nest, the entrance door opens ready for thc entrance of another hen and this door 19 is held open until the next succeeding hen has settled on the nest.

In order to prevent hens from loitering underneath the balanced platform 38, I provide a screen made preferably of poultry wire, this screen being designated 45 and being attached to the stop 36 and the transverse member 36. Hens will not loiter in the space beneath the balanced platform for the reason that the wire 45 will hurt the feet and as aconsequence hens will neither be hurt by getting beneath the balancedI platform, nor will they interfere with the hens coming off the nest.

Preferably the nest boxes are placed as illustrated in Fig. 6 wherein A and B designate parallelA runs, yards or divisions corresponding to the inclosures A and B in Fig. 1. The nest boxes themselves are placed within a housing or inclosure so as to be out of the weather. As illustrated, the wire netting which forms a partition between the yards A and B is extended through this inclosure and then turned at right angles and the west. boxes c. are placed so as to intersect this wire netting. Each of the houses is, of course, divided into two compartments a and o corresponding to the yards A and B.

In the morning all the hens will be in the yard A or in thc compartment L of the house. As the hens lay they pass through the nest boxes c into the passageway el and over into the compartment or into the yard B. If the poultryman does not gat-her the eggs until late in the evening, the hens can go to roost uponvroosts disposed within the housing and in the morning they can be driven back to the yard A through any suitable door. This arrangement permits the poultryman to readily collect the eggs and clean the dropping boards under the roosts, these roosts being placed above the separator nests. lt will, of course, be understood that I have illustrated this arrangement of yard simply to show more clearly how my separator nests operate.

Thilo I do not wish to limit myself to any particular form of nest. box 26, I preferably form the nest box of metal and preferably line it with asbestos lining designated 4i) which is preferably molded. Preferably this asbestos lining has a concave contour and at the bottom is bulged at one point as at 5() to provide a semblance of an e g and do away with the use of nest eggs. The conend to the casing and movable by gravity to a closed position, a depressible nest box disposed between the entrance and exit. openings, a hinged member disposed above the nest box and operatively connected t0 the entrance door, coacting laitching devices on the hinged member and nest box whereby to latch the hinged member in position to hold the entrance door open when the nestbox is raised, a depression of the nest box act` ing to release said hinged member to permit the entrance door to close., means normally obstructing the exit opening but movable to a position to permit the exitr of the hen, and connections between said obstructing member and the entrance door to cause the opening of the entrance door upon a movementl of the obstructing' member out of its obstructing position.

3. In a separator nest, a casing, a hinged entrance door, a deprcssible nest box within the casing, a member hinged above the nest box 'and having its lower end engageable with the forward end of the nest box, a con` nectihg' rodV between said hinged member and the entrance. door, latehing devices mounted upon the hinged member and the nest box to engage the hinged member with the nest bOX when the latter is in a raised position butI disengageable when the nest box is depressed to permit the closing of the entrance door, and a depressible platform mounted in advance of the nest box' and operatively.connected with the hinged member to cause a rotation of the saine into locking engagement with the nest box upon a de pression of the platform under the weight of a hen.

4. In a separator nest, a casing; havingr an 'entrance opening at one end and an exit opening at the other end, a hinged, gravity closing, door controlling the entrance opening;r` a counterwcightcd platform movable independently of the entrance door disposed adjacent the exit opening and between the nest box and the exit opening and normally held in position to prevent any entrance into the casinar by means of the exit opening` a depressible nest box, moans normally holding the entrance door open, means actuated by a depression of the nest box for releasing said door to permit it to close and means actuated by a depression of the platform for raising said entrance door.

5. In a separator nest, an `open bottomed casing having an entrance openingr and an exit opening, a nest box within the casing, a `ybalanced platform disposed adjacent the exit opening and normally supported in anupward and forwardly extending position to obstruct said exit openin and netting disposed horizontally inthe orward and of the casingabove the bottom edge thereof and beneglth Said balanced platform.

G. In a separator nest, a casingr having an entrance opening and an exit opening, the entrance opening being disposed above the bottom of the casing. a nest box pivoted at lts'rear end within the casing,l a counterweight acting to raise the forward end of the nest box but permitting the lnest box to be depressed undertho weight of a hen, a balanced door pivoted within the casing above `the forward end. of the nest box, an entrance door hinged at its upper end to the Casing and controlling the entrance opening, a connecting rod l'ietween the entrance door and the balanced door wherebyY when the balanced door is moved to a position to enrage with the forward end of the nest box the entrance door shall be held opened, latching devices carried on the forward end of the nest box and the adjacent edge of the balanced door whereby to holdv the balanced door in engagement with the nest box when the nesty boxis raised and thereby hold the entrance door open, a` balanced platform disposed immediately in advance of the nest box and normally supported in an upwardly and forwardly extending position. said bal.A anccd platform controllingr the exit opening, and a iiexible connection between said platform and the balanced door whereby a de1 pression of the balanced platform will cause a depression of the balanced door to a position in engagement with the nest box.

7. The combination with a poultry yard divided into Opposed compartments, of a. separator nest extending into each of said compartments and comprising! a casing ha v ing an entrance and an exitopening, a door hinged lat its upper end and adapted to close the entrance opening, a nest box pirotaiiy mounted within the casing an (Huntern weighted at its rear end, mean engaging with the nest box when in its raised position for holding the entrance door open when the nest box is raised but rcleasable upon a depression of the nest; box to permit the entrance door to close, a balanced platform dis posed at the exit end oi" thc casing and norn'lallv held in a p to obstruct the exit opening', and means operatively er cting the balanced platform with the cnt. .mee door whereby the entrance door shall be opened upon a, depression of the balanced platform.

8. ln a nest box, a casingr having opposed sides and a top, the casing being7 formed with an entrance opening at one end and an exit opening at the other. the entrance opening being located above the bottom of the casing, a platform extending inward from the entrance opening, a door hinged to the top of the casing at the entrance end and closing by gravity, a nest box pivotally mounted at its rear end within the casing, a eounterprevi ingY above the loi-Wm@ end of the nest be);j 1 weight mfling tu uw'fe will loer lo :in up {iii-f'rximately heifizuill'nl posiliow, a ennemik ing .md dispo nl betvreeii said balanced door {mi} ilie entrance Clfroij. e, keeper mounted upon the fowviud eiid if Elie nest, box and having ai; inclined lip, and :i spring actuated belt, carried upon lhe edge Gf the balanced ble under the weight ef a lien, a balalicell door hingellly meunled within the eaS- neges@ loer and eugugeable with said keeper Wherel y when the nest box is raised the balanced dem' will be held in a depressed porsition but whereby when the nest box is depressed the balanced door will be released to permit the entrance doer te Close` ,ln testimony whereof I allix my in presence 0i two Witnesses.

ROBERT F. BRINER. Witnesses C. C, HICKOK, FRANK MUNZ.

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